Tag: Bill Clinton

What would it look like if America’s Presidents served life-long terms until they died? This article will take a look at this question by seeing how long each former President would have been in office and what this alternative timeline would look like. Since the 45th President, Donald Trump, is currently serving in office he will not be counted.

Presidental length vs. life-long length

The first chart shows a comparison between each Presidents actual time in office compared to if they had served as President for life upon being elected. The second shows the difference in days between these two. For the former Presidents who are still alive, their numbers in days are up to date as of August 1st, 2018.

The table below shows the exact numbers for each President as represented in the two charts above.

President

Time as President

Lifespan after being elected if President for life

Days difference

Washington

2,865 days (1789-1797)

3,880 days (1789-1799)

1,015 days

Adams

1,460 days (1797-1801)

10,713 days (1797-1826)

9,253 days

Jefferson

2,992 days (1801-1809)

9,253 days (1801-1826)

6,261 days

Madison

2,922 days (1809-1817)

9,978 days (1809-1836)

7,056 days

Monroe

2,922 days (1817-1825)

5,235 days (1817-1831)

2,243 days

JQ Adams

1,461 days (1825-1829)

8,391 days (1825-1848)

6,930 days

Jackson

2,922 days (1829-1837)

5,940 days (1829-1845)

3,018 days

Van Buren

1,461 days (1837-1841)

9,273 days (1837-1862)

7,812 days

WH Harrison

31 days (1841)

31 days (1841)

0 days

Tyler

1,430 days (1841-1845)

7,594 days (1841-1862)

6,164 days

Polk

1,461 days (1845-1849)

1,564 days (1845-1849)

103 days

Taylor

492 days (1849-1850)

492 days (1849-1850)

0 days

Fillmore

969 days (1850-1853)

8,643 days (1850-1874)

7,674 days

Pierce

1,461 days (1853-1857)

6,062 days (1853-1869)

4,601 days

Buchanan

1,461 days (1857-1861)

4,107 days (1857-1868)

2,646 days

Lincoln

1,503 days (1861-1865)

1,503 days (1861-1865)

0 days

Johnson

1,419 days (1865-1869)

3,759 days (1865-1875)

2,340 days

Grant

2,922 days (1869-1877)

5,985 days (1869-1885)

2,876 days

Hayes

1,461 days (1877-1881)

5,798 days (1877-1893)

4,337 days

Garfield

199 days (1881)

199 days (1881)

0 days

Arthur

1,262 days (1881-1885)

1,886 days (1881-1886)

624 days

Cleveland

1,461 days (1885-1889)

8,512 days (1885-1908)

7,051 days

Harrison

1,461 days (1889-1893)

4,391 days (1889-1901)

2,930 days

Cleveland (Part II)

1,461 days (1893-1897)

5,590 days (1893-1908)

4,129 days

McKinley

1,654 days (1897-1901)

1,654 days (1897-1901)

0 days

Roosevelt

2,728 days (1901-1909)

6,323 days (1901-1919)

3,595 days

Taft

1,461 days (1909-1913)

7,674 days (1909-1930)

6,213 days

Wilson

2,922 days (1913-1921)

3,988 days (1913-1924)

1,066 days

Harding

881 days (1921-1923)

881 days (1921-1923)

0 days

Coolidge

2,041 days (1923-1929)

3,444 days (1923-1933)

1,403 days

Hoover

1,461 days (1929-1933)

13,014 days (1929-1964)

11,553 days

FDR

4,422 days (1933-1945)

4,422 days (1933-1945)

0 days

Truman

2,840 days (1945-1953)

10,120 days (1945-1972)

7,280 days

Eisenhower

2,922 days (1953-1961)

5,911 days (1953-1969)

2,989 days

Kennedy

1,036 days (1961-1963)

1,036 days (1961-1963)

0 days

LBJ

1,886 days (1963-1969)

3,349 days (1963-1973)

1,463 days

Nixon

2,027 days (1969-1974)

9,223 days (1969-1994)

7,196 days

Ford

895 days (1974-1977)

11,097 days (1974-2006)

10,202 days

Carter

1,461 days (1977-1981)

15,168 days (1977-

13,707 days

Reagan

2,922 days (1981-1989)

11,094 days (1981-2004)

8,172 days

HW Bush

1,461 days (1989-1993)

10,785 days (1989-

9,324 days

Clinton

2,922 days (1993-2001)

9,324 days (1993-

6,402 days

Bush

2,922 days (2001-2009)

6,402 days (2001-

3,480 days

Obama

2,922 days (2009-2017)

3,480 days (2009-

558 days

Trump

558 days (2017-

N/A

N/A

FDR and John Adams

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was elected to serve four terms (16 years) as President but died a few months into his fourth term in 1945. In 1947 Congress ratified the 22nd amendment, which was approved by the states in 1951, making it so no President could serve more than two terms.

In this hypothetical President for life scenario, FDR would still have served more days as President then the 10* listed in the table below even if they served as President for life.

*Not counting those who died in office (W.H. Harrison, Taylor, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding and Kennedy)

President

Lifespan after being elected if President for life

FDR

4,422 days (1933-1945)

Harrison

4,391 days (1889-1901)

Buchanan

4,107 days (1857-1868)

Washington

3,880 days (1789-1799)

Wilson

3,988 days (1913-1924)

Johnson

3,759 days (1865-1875)

Obama

3,480 days (2009-

Coolidge

3,444 days (1923-1933)

LBJ

3,349 days (1963-1973)

Arthur

1,886 days (1881-1886)

Polk

1,564 days (1845-1849)

Another noticeable thing from this hypothetical President for life scenario is how long John Adams holds the title as longest-serving President. Adams died on July 4th, 1826 and it would not be until (ironically enough) July 4th, 1958 that President Hoover would pass him in days served.

Hoover would then become the longest until President Carter passed him on September 8th, 2012. Adams (90 years, 247 days) is the fifth oldest President to have ever lived, while Carter (93 years, 299 days) is currently second only being George H.W. Bush.

President

Lifespan after being elected if President for life

Carter

15,168 days (1977-

Hoover

13,014 days (1929-1964)

Ford

11,097 days (1974-2006)

Reagan

11,094 days (1981-2004)

HW Bush

10,785 days (1989-

Adams

10,713 days (1797-1826)

Truman

10,120 days (1945-1972)

Alternative President for life timeline

In an alternative timeline where America’s President is elected for life, the country would only be on its 15th President (Clinton), instead of its 45th (Trump). To make this timeline, I took who was actually President in real-life and made them next in line when the current President for life died.

So if Washington had died in 1802 instead of 1799, Jefferson would have been the second President in this timeline instead of Adams.